Tuning the Kaleidoscope
by kinosternon
Summary: One-shots and vignettes starring different combinations of the UtaPri cast! Featuring prompts, randomly generated character combinations, and ideas of my own when I'm so inspired. Mostly gen, updates likely to be sporadic. Rated T for possible language.
1. Masato & Yamato, duet song

**A/N: So I recently got into the UtaPri fandom through Shining Live (like last August) , and now I'm on an archive binge of eight years' worth of content! I finally know enough that I feel comfortable starting to write stuff for these characters. (There'll still be mistakes, but I'm learning.)**

 **Prompt format: 2 or more characters, and some short prompt/direction to go in. I accept prompts here (review or PM), or on Ao3, Tumblr, DreamWidth, LiveJournal, or Twitter, on all of which I'm under the same username. I have some rules I'm following to randomly generate prompts as well, and if I have ideas for short one-shots, they may also end up here.**

 **There'll be a mirror of this on Ao3, too, as soon as I figure out whether I want it to be multi-chaptered (like on here) or make a series.**

 **Updates will probably be sporadic, and I reserve the right to pick and choose which prompts I fill, but I'll do my best!**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

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 **Prompt (from anonymous on Tumblr): masato + yamato trying to record a duet song!**

Masato pulled off his headphones and sighed, reaching for his pencil. He jotted a few notes in the margins of the sheet music before him, and then glanced up at the idol lounging across from him, staring at his phone. So far, the only time Yamato had spoken willingly to him was to insist on the use of his proper name, which…Masato was not entirely comfortable with in and of itself, but the alternative was obviously less respectful, given his stated wishes.

"Yamato-san," he said. He got a glance of a few seconds for his trouble, before Yamato's eyes returned to his phone with a grunt. Masato took it as tacit permission to continue, and did so.

"What did you think of the demo?" he asked.

Another grunt, and a shrug. Masato schooled his features, refusing to show any slight at the implicit rejection. The uncharitable thought of How do his team members put up with this?also went firmly ignored.

"I see," he said, and looked back at his notes, crossing out a few more of his lines and underlining a few of Yamato's. There was something in there that intrigued him—something that belied the man himself's apparent disinterest. Masato wasn't sure what that something was, exactly—honestly, he was having trouble getting a solid read on him in general. Yamato had put enough thought into the project to put his own spin on the lyrics, but at the moment his and Masato's interpretations didn't mesh at all.

Masato rubbed at the bridge of his nose and suppressed a sigh.

He tried again. "About these lyrics…I will admit, I came into this project with my own thoughts, and I'd like to hear your opinion. As far as I'm concerned, while it's not explicitly stated, I suspect the motif is meant to be reminiscent of a group like the Shinsengumi, perhaps—a balance of traditionalism and ferocity. It seems that you had something a little different in mind, however…"

He trailed off. Yamato had shown no sign of paying attention while he'd been talking, and showed no sign of noticing that he'd stopped.

Masato sighed. His chats with Syo in the last week or so, both in person and online, had forewarned him of this, but that didn't mean he hadn't hoped things would go smoothly. He bent his head back to the page and finished writing his notes.

"Well, I suspect we've worked out about as much as we're going to be able to this session," he said. "Let's put the song itself aside for the time being. Yamato-san, there was one more matter I'd like to discuss with you, if you'd be so kind."

All he got for his efforts was another, fleeting, glance—until Yamato saw what Masato was reaching for. Then he straightened and did a double take, pulling out one of his earbuds. The faintest traces of interest were beginning to show on his face.

Masato ruthlessly repressed his triumphant smirk as he lifted the long, narrow carrying case into clear view. "Yamato-san," he said, keeping his tone carefully neutral, "are you at all familiar with kendo?"


	2. Cecil & Nagi, Siege

"When do you think he'll come out, Nagi-kun?"

Nagi, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, glared at him. "How the hell would I know?"

Cecil tried on his best awkward smile. "Well, you are out here. Do you have any insights to offer?"

"No," Nagi sighed. "It's just my turn. That's all."

Cecil cocked his head. "You've been taking turns to watch over Shion-kun?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "Really, it's such..."

And then, as Cecil watched, he stopped, eyes widening. His gaze darted towards the closet, looking...was that guilt? It was gone in a flash and he continued remarkably quickly. "It's very important that we get him back as soon as possible. So even if he'd be willing to talk at us through the door, that would be a start."

Ah. So Nagi had remembered he would be overheard. Cecil looked over at the closed closet door again, speculative.

It was hard to get a straight answer out of Natsuki, sometimes. Everything was "cute" to him, and he seldom, if ever, criticized anyone. During his time with Shion, though, Cecil had been able to pick up on a little regardless.

At the very least, he knew that Nagi and Shion were fairly close. But it seemed that Nagi had only barely stopped himself from an insulting slip once already; perhaps that was just how he functioned, even if he liked Shion a great deal. That meant that Cecil would need to be very careful not to push him into saying something he'd regret.

He frowned. From the start, he'd always felt fairly comfortable around his fellow band members, and lately it seemed like his interactions with HEAVENS were making him appreciate it anew. He didn't know how to help Shion, even after their duet had left them with slightly better knowledge of each other. He'd ended up with a certain affection and concern for him, though—as much as his own history had left him with a particular affinity for closets as hiding spaces, the rest of his idol friends did not resort to them quite so often. He had a lot of sympathy for Shion's plight, so when he'd heard through Tokiya that the idol was having issues, he'd found a way to come investigate.

"And also, well," Nagi muttered, shuffling his feet again, "he certainly likes hugging me enough. So I thought maybe we could talk." His eyes narrowed at Cecil. "I don't know why you're here."

Cecil smiled, sheepish. "I suppose I took an interest in Shion-kun after our duet. We have a few things in common, and I'd really like to get to know him better." His smile dropped. "I'm sorry that things seem to be rough at the moment. Do you think there's anything I can do to help?"

Cecil couldn't tell whether Nagi's squint meant he was fed up with him, or if he was actually thinking about it. "How would I know?" he said eventually. "I've never seen you together, but...your solo turned out all right, and Shion's pretty shy. Point in your favor, I guess."

Cecil grinned. "Thank you!"

"It wasn't _that_ much of a compliment," Nagi said. "More to the point, if you really want to help, shouldn't you be taking more initiative? Don't just come around saying you want to help and then make everyone else do the thinking for you." He gestured at the closet. "What are you planning to do about this?"

Cecil hesitated. "I..."

Nagi, it seemed, was overbearing and supercilious, and had very little of the respect for his elders that was supposed to be a cultural value in Japan. Cecil could work with all those things, but it was surprising. More surprising was the fact that Nagi had a point, somewhere under all the vitriol.

"I must admit, I was mostly hoping that patience might help," he tried. "It took me a little while to get to know Shion-kun at first, too, so I thought...I'd just stay nearby and give him the option. Of talking, or coming out, or whatever he wants to do. Just as long as he knows that I care about him."

There was a sound from within the closet, and Nagi and Cecil both froze, looking at the door. It stayed shut, but there was a sound of shuffling and what might've been a sniffle.

Nagi and Cecil looked at each other.

"Well," Nagi admitted, voice low, "I hate to admit it, but I don't have much ground to criticize you there. That's about as much as we've come up with, either." He sat down delicately, crossing his legs and sitting near the closet door. "I don't suppose you have any ideas about how to entertain yourself in the meantime?"

"I brought some things," Cecil said gamely, "just to work on while I waited. But it seems impolite to ignore you, Nagi-kun."

"Hmph. Maybe I'll get some stuff to work on, too, if this keeps up." Nagi sighed, and from the pocket of his sweatshirt he pulled out a small rectangle. Cecil stared as he flipped it open.

"In the meantime," he said, giving Cecil a mean look that didn't quite match up with his cordial tone, "Shion's been showing me this game. Do you even know anything about video games?"

"Very little," Cecil said cheerfully.

"I didn't think so," Nagi said scornfully. "Well, you did say you wanted to get to know him better, right? Shion loves stuff like this. Once you get to know him well enough, he never shuts up about it."

He patted the section of wall beside him, glaring down at his small screen.

Cecil beamed and scooted over to sit beside Nagi, looking over his shoulder. His earlier assessment seemed a bit off, now. Maybe a big part of what was going on here was Nagi dealing with being shy in his own way, just like Shion did.

His suspicions were confirmed when Nagi turned his head, ever so slightly, and spoke in a whisper. "This was my other idea," he said, carefully clinical. "He might want to see how I'm doing if I play for a little while."

Cecil nodded, and leaned down to get a better view. From the awkward frown on Nagi's face as he turned back to the console, he'd seen Cecil's proud smile.

Nagi wasn't bad at all, Cecil decided happily. He would be happy to stay with him for as long as it took for Shion to feel comfortable coming out again.


	3. Natsuki & Kira, Covenant

**A/N: Legend Star spoilers in this chapter!**

 **I don't think Natsuki's talked to/about Kira yet in canon, or if he has I can't figure out what he calls Kira, so I had to guess. If anyone knows, and/or if I've messed up anybody else's names, I'll happily go in and correct things!**

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"Kira-kuuun!"

Kira is a little bit surprised to see Shinomiya coming over to him. He's only got a minor part in the drama they're putting together, and he and most of the rest of ST RISH will only be on the set for a few hours before clearing out and letting the stars handle the remaining scenes.

"Shinomiya-san," he says, folding his arms. "Is there something I can help you with?"

He has heard, from various sources, that it is best to turn down the offer of a hug from Shinomiya-san if at all possible. Not from Nagi, who seems somehow to have avoided this fate; nor from Eiichi, who would never admit to such a weakness. But he's heard nonetheless.

"Ah, I wanted to ask you a favor, actually. You're so sharp, Kira-kun!"

And Shinomiya...takes off his glasses.

Something in Kira tenses. He's developed a rather finely honed sense of the dangerous, and something about the way Shinomiya's eyes peek out from behind his wild bangs spells out a vicious threat, just for a moment.

But Shinomiya simply pulls out a cloth and starts wiping the lenses of his glasses, seemingly perfectly calm.

"I worked with Eiicchan a little while ago," he says, pleasantly. "He's a really good guy! He's so passionate, and his heart is in the right place."

Eiichi is the star of this piece, a vicious anti-hero with a slowly thawing heart of ice. It's a part that suits him well.

Kira nods, careful. "That's kind of you to say, Shinomiya-san."

"There's no need to be so formal," Shinomiya says, and his eyes glint over to Kira, not quite matching his tone. "Natsuki is fine, or even Nacchan! I'll answer to a number of names, and we're going to be friends, I hope. After all, I am asking you a favor."

"I...see," Kira says. "...Natsuki, then. What is it?"

"I...like Eiicchan," Natsuki says. "I like him quite a bit. But I actually think that Otoya-kun has a little bit of trouble around him sometimes."

"...Ittoki-san does?"

Ittoki would be the second star, alongside Eiichi. Kira's really only playing a glorified secondary character, but since he's in so many of the scenes with Eiichi, he'll be around throughout the rest of the filming.

And he's playing dumb; he knows exactly what Shinomiya is talking about.

"It seems they have a bit of a history," Shinomiya says, soft. He twirls one earpiece of his glasses in his hands. "Mind you, I think the energy they have when they perform together is top-notch. I guess Raging Otori and Shining-san think so, too, or they wouldn't put them back together quite so soon."

"And you're...concerned."

"I don't want Otoya-kun getting hurt," Shinomiya says plainly. "And I think it wouldn't be good for Eiichan to get...carried away, either."

Kira takes a deliberate breath as those eyes land on him again.

"Keep an eye on them, will you?" The voice is low, still not threatening, but it's impossible not to feel that edge like a naked blade, the finest hint of tension everywhere in Shinomiya's posture. "I'd really appreciate it."

Kira thinks it over, and then, carefully, nods. "You have my word," he says, solemn; bows a little, to make it formal.

In truth, it isn't so different from what he'd been planning to do anyway. He doesn't want them to be hurt, either. And it would be both of them.

Kira, though he knows he comes off as a bit distant and has problems with unscripted encounters, considers himself a reasonably good judge of character. Eiichi is brilliant and stubborn and a force to be reckoned with...and oddly innocent, too. Oblivious, perhaps.

It's obvious, to Kira at least, that he likes Ittoki quite a bit, which is odd for someone like him; normally, he acts like other people are beneath his notice. Unfortunately, given what little Kira knows of their history, it's entirely reasonable for Ittoki not to return that sentiment. Worse, he's not sure Eiichi is even aware of that fact. It's a bad combination.

Kira would rather the filming not end in disaster, like their last collaboration nearly did. If that means chaperoning them so that they're never alone together, then so be it. He'll make sure Eiichi doesn't go too far, that Ittoki never has an excuse to give him a piece of his mind. He's reasonably certain that he can prevent matters from coming to a head, so long as he's careful.

Shinomiya sighs and slips his glasses back on. "Thank you," he says, and the tension bleeds out of him remarkably quickly. He rotates once on the ball of one foot, all the way around, and then leaps forward so that he's crouched before Kira, staring wide-eyed up at him, full of enthusiasm.

"Say," he says, "I couldn't help but think you were so cute today, Kira-kun! Your outfit for the performance suits you just perfectly!"

Ah, this is a bit more of the Shinomiya he was expecting to interact with. The shift back is slightly jarring, however.

"Thank...you?"

"Hey, can I give you a hug? Consider it my thanks!"

And here it is: the threat he'd been expecting from the start. "I'll...pass."

"Come on, don't be like that, Kira-kun! Come on—"

"No, really, I—"

It takes all his skill to survive Shinomiya's enthusiasm in one piece, but someone has to be around to keep an eye on Ittoki and Eiichi in the morning. Kira manages.

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 **A/N: I wrote this before listening to Kira's audio drama. I was a little surprised by it, honestly—his character seemed a bit different in the anime!—but I think I did an okay job matching his voice here. So...many...ellipses...**

 **(I know that Satsuki's gone after Natsuki's collab with Nagi, but I bet hints of him still come out when Natsuki comes across something that his normal attitude doesn't let him address directly. And I love the way the audio dramas keep hinting that all is not forgiven between Otoya and Eiichi. The tie-backs to the anime continuity are great.)**


	4. Eiichi & Eiji, Annoying

**A/N: This is set after one of the early episodes of the HE VENS** **radio programs, but I was only partly listening and the DJ CD isn't out yet, so I'm going from memory. What I'm remembering is that in episode 0, Eiichi tells a story about how Eiji bundled him up to go outside in the winter, only to end up catching a cold himself.**

 **(These two. :3)**

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"Nii-chan, you didn't have to tell them that!"

Eiichi spares his brother a glance, and no more—Eiji is the picture of annoyance, projecting it with his whole body. If he's energetic enough to go that far in protest, he's not all that mad.

"I did you a favor," he says instead, sweeping out the door of the recording studio.

Eiji follows him, pausing in the doorway to pull the door closed behind him. "I don't see how telling a story that makes me look like a...a scared little kid is doing me a—"

Eiichi stops, turns around, hands on hips. "It's fine, isn't it? You're nice. It's part of your appeal."

Eiji comes right up to him—too close, he has a habit of doing that—and pouts mightily. "There's 'nice,' and then there's being a pushover. I know I already don't give off much of a 'cool' vibe, it's something I'm working on, but—"

"Little brother." The term comes oddly off Eiichi's tongue. He ignores that, because Eiji shuts up, staring up at him.

He takes him by the elbow and turns him, just because he can. Eiji follows as he knew he would, leans obediently against the wall when he rests his elbow against it and looms over him.

Other people are sometimes an enigma to Eiichi. If only they'd be willing to show what's in their hearts, he'd understand them better. If they were willing to outright say what they wanted, willing to scream it out and fight for it, he wholeheartedly believes the world would be a better, and less confusing, place.

But Eiji, at least, he's had for years and years. Eiji he can understand, and if he were really mad, he wouldn't be letting his brother do any of this.

He's embarrassed, and quite possibly needs encouragement. And a lecture, because people don't actually critique him enough. He's too easy to dismiss.

"You don't show off enough of your good sides," he rumbles, voice low. "If you don't become willing to stand out more, you're going to fall behind."

Eiichi doesn't necessarily like it, but people are complicated. Even Eiji has a number of sides to him. Eiichi knows this.

There's the part of him that's nervous in new places. His response to that is to blend into the background. It's what makes him mesh so well with the rest of HEVENS, well enough to help hold them together.

That's a virtue insofar as they're a band with some pretty strong personalities, and it's a problem insofar as idols are supposed to stand out, to shine fearlessly.

Eiji's too good to let his fears of standing out hold him back, and Eiichi fully intends to help him learn to break that habit when necessary. Eiji's nerves aren't quite so bad when he's somewhere he knows, like the studio, and with someone he knows as well as Eiichi. It's safe to confront him here; he has the wherewithal to deal with it.

There's the part of him that's kind—that loves Eiichi unconditionally, that is respectful to their father, even when neither of them do enough to earn it. Like in the story Eiichi told before, that concerned Eiji's desire to look out for him, that part of him is strong. Eiichi sometimes thinks it's too strong for the rest of him.

But this side of him, the side that stands under his gaze and stares up at him with those thoughtful, open eyes...this is part of his genius. Quiet, curious, absorbing the world around him like a sponge...it isn't bad at all.

"I'll try," he says, and that's all. No more arguing, just those two words.

It's likely Eiji still doesn't agree with his choice of story—he'd probably say if he did—but Eiichi suspects he's forgiven nonetheless. He reaches down to squeeze his brother's shoulder, and then lets him go.

"Good," he says, stepping back. "HEVENS is our place to shine, Eiji. Not just me, but both of us."

Eiji smiles, eyes gentle. "I know."

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 **A/N: I'm still not sure I got the characterization right on these two (HE** **VENS is hard, and I keep rolling them; yes, I got these two randomly), and I'm not sure their voices are right. But, y'know, this is a work in progress, and just as much for me as it is for you guys.**

 **Always accepting of feedback, though!**


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